WBB headed to USCAA nationals
When the Penn State Fayette women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaking 79-78 loss to Penn State Greater Allegheny in the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) quarterfinals on February 21, it appeared its season had concluded.
However, when the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) announced the pairing for its Division II National Championship tournament, Fayette got the call that it was headed to Richmond, VA after earning a bid. It is Fayette's 13th straight USCAA national tournament, and the 13 trips is a USCAA record for both the men's and women's divisions. (Fayette played host from 2009-2020, and as the host, it was awarded an automatic bid each year. There was no tournament in 2021 due to COVID-19.)
The berth was a pleasant surprise for head coach Scott Hillen and his team.
"I think it is awesome that the team earned a bid," said Hillen. "Being it's the first year we are not hosting, this a great accomplishment for the team to represent Penn State Fayette at nationals. I'm very proud of the team. This was a season that I wasn't sure what type of team we would have. The girls couldn't play last year so they stuck with it and worked hard. We have a very new team except for a few players. I'm very happy for the ladies and they deserve it."
Fayette (15-9) is seeded 10th in the 10-team field, and it will play seventh-seed University of Maine-Augusta (UMA) in a first-round play-in game on Monday at 6 p.m. Hillen spoke about UMA (17-8).
"I know they make it to nationals on a pretty consistent basis," Hillen said of UMA, which is headed to nationals for the fourth time in eight years. "They are well coached and have a very good program. They play aggressive man to man defense. Offensively, they have a balanced team with a very good post player and their guards are athletic. I think it's a good match up for us, but we have a chance if we show up focused and ready to play. It's a new season and everyone is 0-0 at nationals."
Leading the way for Fayette offensively are junior Taylor McCormick (Laurel, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt HS), sophomore Ally Boykin (Canton, OH/Canton McKinley HS) and sophomore Morgan Rigsby (West Portsmith, OH/West Portsmith HS). McCormick averages 20.2 points per game (PPG), which led the PSUAC. Boykin finished 12th in the conference at 12.8 PPG while Rigsby was 25th at 9.5 PPG and fourth with 10.1 rebounds per game (RPG).
Hillen spoke about the keys to a win MOnday, and he laughed with his initial response.
"Our first key to victory is to score more points than them," he quipped in a light-hearted moment before getting serious. "It's like most games as we have to control the boards and have to own the paint. I think we need a good balance on offense as well. I told the team we need players to step up, and it would be great to get four players in double digits. Communication on defense will be another key, as are limiting our turnovers and getting to the foul line."
The winner will advance to face second-seeded Central Maine CC (25-3), the Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) champion, in the second round on Wednesday at 8 p.m. while the loser of Monday's play-in game will go into the consolation bracket and play Wednesday. Ironically, UMA swept Central Maine CC this season in their two conference matchups. UMA won at Central Maine CC 78-66 on December 6 and then at home on February 2, 75-58.
Johnson & Wales Charlotte (18-4) is the top seed and will play the winner of the play-in game between eighth-seeded Penn State Beaver (19-7), the PSUAC champion, and ninth-seeded Five Towns (11-5). Third-seeded Cincinnati Clermont (13-8) faces sixth-seeded Southern Maine CC (20-4) while fourth-seeded Penn State Schuylkill (22-8) faces fifth-seeded Villa Maria (14-10).
For more information on the women's basketball team, go to https://www.psfathletics.com/sports/wbkb/index or follow us on Instagram @fayetteathletics.
For more information on the USCAA, go to https://www.theuscaa.com/landing/index. For more information on the USCAA national championships, go to https://basketball.theuscaa.com/landing/index.